'Serfing', stories and stuffed shellsAnya Covington checks in with her latest edition of the CDW Badger Chronicles.

Anya Covington

Dec. 1, 2009

MADISON, Wis. - In each Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Game Day program, captains Anya Covington, Teah Gant and Alana Trotter will give you an inside look into the team with the CDW Badger Chronicles.

Last week, at the Green Bay game, if you purchased a program, you read Covington’s latest edition where she talked about what the team did during the offseason to bond. Today, you can read that entry.

Be sure to pick up your copy of the Game Day program at every home game inside the Kohl Center, or you can order them online courtesy of the National W Club.

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Anya Covington here! I hope all is well and thank you so much for supporting the Badgers.

First off, I would like for you to take a journey back about three to four months ago when our team was diligently working through our annual preseason. Yes, we were in the gym all the time working on our game, but we made lots of time to for some good old team bonding. We held many team dinners where we had the opportunity to get to know each other better. We found out many important values about each other like our fears to our favorite colors.

During one of our countless team dinners, Ashley Thomas and I planned a game so our team could get to know each other past the competitive level. We made flash cards with different questions on each card. The responses were remarkable! During this special team dinner, we shared many laughs and even shared some tears (thanks to Lin Zastrow) ultimately bringing our team closer together.

Other subtle team bonding events that occurred before the season kicked off was our frequent visits to the movie theater. I think it is safe to say that our team (especially Jade Davis) could be considered movie experts. We also participated in a few community service events together like the YMCA’s and the Madison Stars Elite camp where we came together to help the inspiring young basketball players in the Madison area.

One of the greatest team bonding events happened this summer when we all packed our swim suits, sun screen and camping gear and traveled out to Rae Lin D’Alie’s wonderland. There was a lake, which I am bashful to admit, I struggled to swim across and a home-made diving board which we exploded off. We built a fire and at night we ate a few s’mores, told ghost stories and played the fun-filled game of Mafia.

During our many games of Mafia, everyone’s natural character was on display and boy was it funny. We really got to see the no-nonsense side of our freshman Catie O’Leary. This trip ended after a day of tubing and Grandma D’s (Rae Lin’s grandma) homemade stuffed shells (oh how I love them!) and meatballs. This trip was made without one of our dear teammates—Ms. Alyssa Karel—but we missed her greatly!

“Serfing” is a term used frequently among the players when talking about the SERF, which is one of the campuses recreational facilities. Before the season, you could catch many of us players “serfing” or in other words, beating the men of this campus in a game we call basketball.

As you can see we don’t spend a lot of money to have a lot fun together. During our preseason, we enhanced our chemistry and it is evident during our games.

Thank you for taking this journey with me. And just one note, if you place our team in a room with food and each other, there is bound to be a good time! Please stay tuned.